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Mar 21, 2023 Web Exclusive By Andy Von Pip

Girl Scout, who appeared on the Under the Radar’s 23 for 2023 list, excel on their sublime debut EP, Real Life Human Garbage. The Swedish band—Emma Jansson (guitar, vocals), Evelina Arvidsson Eklind (bass, vocals), Per Lindberg (drums) and Viktor Spasov (guitar)—met whilst studying jazz at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. However, they bonded over a shared love of acts like Big Thief, Phoebe Bridgers, Elliott Smith, and The Beatles. They soon absorbed other influences and began to lay the foundation for what would become Girl Scout.

If you’re into the wistful beauty of artists like Alvvays, or a fusion of Britpop and the more melodic side of ’90s alt rock then Girl Scout could well be the band for you. Opener “All the Time and Everywhere,” with its breezy slacker pop vibe, sets the tone for the rest of the EP and demonstrates how the band expertly juxtapose upbeat melodies with lyrics that address the angst of growing up whilst attempting to work out your own place in the world.

The EP includes their previous singles such as the soaring debut “Do You Remember Sally Moore?”—an anthemic homage to the trials and tribulations of high school inspired by shows such as Sex Education and Stranger Things. Of the two tracks that haven’t been previously released, “Run Me Over With Your Car” and “Attenborough Beach,” it’s the latter that makes the biggest impression. It’s a musically astute slow-burner that builds beautifully to evoke a sense of place and time. Amusingly, the band revealed that the track was originally inspired by an annoyingly garrulous friend (“he never really knew when to stop talking, but he could do a killer David Attenborough impression”).

Whatever the sources of inspiration for Real Life Human Garbage, it provides plenty of evidence that Girl Scout are set to make their own big impression on 2023. (www.girlscouttheband.com)

Author rating: 8/10